April 1, 2007

fresh cut grass

Ahhhh - the smell of freshly cut grass. Nothing says warm weather, fresh starts and good times are coming more than that smell. I love Spring! I love the warmer temps and longer days. I love the blossoming of new things to come. Yes, Spring is my most favorite time of year!

It's true when you have kids, majority of your weekends are spent going to birthday parties. Today was probably our seventh birthday party attendance this year (including our baby's first birthday) and it's only April 1st. When I was kid, I only remember having a couple "big" birthday parties and that was when I turned 5 and 16. I only remember the party for my fifth birthday from what I've seen in pictures. My big sixteenth was a sleep over with 7 or 8 crazy girls. Most of my special days were spent going out to dinner with my parents or getting to take a friend to do something special. This day and age is all about the party! Lots of people/kids, cute themes, and chaos. Don't get me wrong - I love a good theme. It's my favorite part of kid birthday parties. I get caught up in the cuteness of it all . . . . . the party favors, the matching plates/napkins/cups, the cake, the food, the people and the theme . . . . .ahhhhh, yes the theme. That's the most fun part of the party!

Now that my little family has grown to a party of five of its own, we spend our fair share going to and throwing birthday parties. For some reason, today's party made me reflect on the whole kid birthday party throwing hoopla. I actually lost a good friendship over this very occasion. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was time for us to grow apart. I know there were other contributing factors to the demise of our friendship which all seem very trivial now. But it happened. I'm sad about it and wish if it had to happen, that it had happened differently. But I'm not angry or hurt about it anymore. I guess I have moved on and am growing up. Growing up is a long, bumpy road. Throwing birthday parties for our children is a celebration not only for the kids but for us parents as well. It's a celebration that we made it through another year of bumps and came out the other end stronger and with a greater appreciation for the things that are truly important: Family and good friendships!

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